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Functional Overreaching in Endurance Athletes: A Necessity or Cause for Concern?
1Griffith Sports Physiology and Performance, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia. p.bellinger@griffith.edu.au.
Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)
|February 18, 2020
Summary
Functional overreaching (FOR) in endurance athletes can lead to performance decrements or super-compensation. Research evaluates if FOR is necessary for super-compensation and its metabolic impacts.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Exercise Physiology
- Endurance Training
Background:
- Athletes exhibit varied responses to increased training loads, ranging from performance enhancement to prolonged decrements.
- The fitness-fatigue continuum categorizes these responses into functional overreaching (FOR), non-functional overreaching (NFOR), and overtraining syndrome.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically evaluate current research on functional overreaching in endurance athletes.
- To determine if inducing FOR is essential for performance super-compensation.
- To investigate the metabolic consequences of FOR and explore preventative strategies.
Main Methods:
- Critical review of recent scientific literature on functional overreaching in endurance athletes.
- Analysis of studies examining performance decrements, super-compensation, and physiological responses.
- Evaluation of factors influencing metabolic consequences and adaptation.
Main Results:
- Evidence is mixed on whether functional overreaching (FOR) is a necessary prerequisite for performance super-compensation.
- FOR is associated with negative cardiovascular, hormonal, and metabolic effects, though these can vary.
- Some studies show blunted adaptations in FOR athletes, while others report significant super-compensation.
Conclusions:
- Classifying fatigue solely on performance decrements may oversimplify functional overreaching (FOR).
- Contextual factors likely influence the metabolic outcomes of FOR.
- Further research is needed to clarify the necessity of FOR for super-compensation and to develop effective mitigation strategies.
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